Naveen Andrews and Ethan Suplee Discuss Male Bonding in The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh follows an Indian family who packs up their lives and moves to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Loosely inspired by the real-life experiences of show creator Vijal Patel, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh adds a unique serialized mystery twist. The show is told mainly in flashbacks, with the Pradeep family and their neighbors being interviewed by federal agents investigating a community-shaking arson crime.

The patriarch of the Pradeep clan, Mahesh, is played by Naveen Andrews, best known for his roles in The English Patient and the hit ABC drama Lost. Meanwhile, the neighbor family is led by Jimbo, played by My Name Is Earl and Mallrats veteran Ethan Suplee. While ostensibly the heads of their households, they serve at the convenience of their more powerful and headstrong wives, played by Sindhu Vee and Megan Hilty, respectively.

Related 9 Best Movies Told In Flashbacks There are films that use flashbacks to give a little backstory, however, there are a handful of films whose plot is surrounded by one big flashback.

Screen Rant interviewed Naveen Andrews and Ethan Suplee about their roles on The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh. They spoke about their characters and relationships with their wives, and in doing so, revealed the true reason men go hunting. Ethan Suplee also shared how his onscreen marriage is oddly like his real one in some ways. Finally, Naveen Andrews explained how Mahesh Pradeep, a man fueled by optimism and goodwill, is unlike any character he'd ever played before.

Naveen Andrews and Ethan Suplee on the True Reason Men Go Hunting

"We're very masculine, manly men," the actors tease.

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The show is so cozy, I love it. The families are so real, believable, but heightened in a way that's perfect for comedy. I feel like I'm talking to "the guys," and your characters are relatively soft-spoken guys, at least compared to the wives.

Ethan Suplee: Yes, that's right. But, by the way, you saw us with the bows and arrows. We're very masculine, manly men.

Well, that's kind of my question. Tell me a little bit about when that episode you guys go hunting. The wives aren't interested in that. Is that your characters' brand of masculinity? And Naveen, does that click for your characteer? To where he goes, "Oh, that's why he does this."

Naveen Andrews: (Breaks out laughing) Oh, yes. Not only was it an opportunity for the characters to bond in a masculine, manly fashion, but it was also a way to discover a certain kind of intimacy, I'll just say that, between two men that may not be immediately obvious when they first meet. There's obviously a certain kind of, I'll say, attraction.

Sure. Your bromance is, at certain times, kept secret. You're having an emotional connection that the wives can't know about.

Naveen Andrews: It's unspoken.

Naveen Andrews & Ethan Suplee Explain Their Characters And Chemistry As Actors

"Mahesh is a character that I've never, ever had to play before, you know, not even in theatre."

It's delightful! Naveen, I was told that you when you read this show, you were like, "bro, this is my jam," in so many words. Is that how it went down?

Naveen Andrews: Well, just because Mahesh is a character that I've never, ever had to play before, you know, not even in theatre. I've never played anyone so relentlessly optimistic, who genuinely believes that he and his family will somehow prevail, just with goodwill and love. There's no rancor or bitterness or aggression. That's what made it unique for me.

Ethan, Jimbo starts out as a wildcard because you don't know where he stands. Tell me a little bit about approaching this character, who at first is an enigma, and then you kind of learn about him and his family and you're like, oh, I kind of see where he's at. Tell me what you drew from for this guy.

Ethan Suplee: Yeah, well, I have a wife and, you know, my wife will throw curveballs into my life. Like, suddenly we're vitamin people who take vitamins, and I have absolutely no interest in taking vitamins. But then when my wife says we're vitamin people, now I'm taking vitamins and I'm on board. But am I really? I don't know. And I think that's very much how Jimbo is, where he just loves his wife and his family and he'll do anything for them. But at the same time, he's super interested in this new, unique group of people who move next door and he really wants to be friends with them. But then, you know, when your wife says you're allowed to go play next door, it's kind of sad. And maybe you sneak looks through the window at your friend and there's longing and all of that. I really think of Jimbo as like a version of my life in reality, to be honest with you.

I guess, in addition to hunting, you get to go off and shoot a show.

Ethan Suplee: Yeah, exactly.

Tell me about each other as scene partners. How do you bounce off each other? Do you have different approaches? What's what's your vibe together on set?

Ethan Suplee: I think from moment one, Naveen and I worked very effortlessly with each other. You get a little bit of rehearsal and we were just like, it felt to me like I'd known him forever. We were able to play off each other's energy and find moments. The scripts were very, very funny, but we were able to find moments like even in between the lines to have stuff happening that wasn't necessarily on the page. Naveen Andrews: Yeah, when stuff happens organically by itself, when it's not on the page, that's always the best.

More About The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh Season 1

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh follows the Pradeep family and the events of their life in America after moving from India. As told through hilarious (and often conflicting) flashbacks from an interrogation room, the Pradeeps quickly find themselves embroiled—romantically, personally, and professionally—with a polar-opposite neighborhood family, leading to a predicament with many surprising twists.

Check back soon for our other The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh interviews here:

Showrunner Vijal Patel

Arjun Sriram & Ashwin Sakthivel

Sindhu Vee & Sahana Srinivasan

The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh season 1 begins streaming on October 17 on Prime Video.